The Last Uchiha
by Lord Darkly
Summary: In a world where Itachi has stolen the skills of many, and Orochimaru is the prodigy everyone proclaimed him to be, Sasuke Uchiha fights to bring closure to his past, and avenge his clan. If he is to defeat his brother, he'll need to use every trick, shortcut, and cheat in the Shinobi Handbook, but he won't do it alone. This time, he'll have a friend. (Finished).
1. Chapter 1

Useless. Completely useless.

Those were my thoughts, as I gazed over the graduated students sitting around me. Most were of civilian descent, and it was obvious in their appearance. They wore standard shinobi gear, the sort that could be bought in any General Goods outlet. Those with clan techniques, such as the Akimichi boy, had specially modified clothing to better fit their styles. His, I knew, could expand to several times their size.

There were a few students who dressed differently than this general schema, Sakura for example. She'd opted for clothes more aesthetic than functional. Same with her hairstyle.

Not that this was an unusual choice for female students. Ino's hairstyle was ridiculously impractical, and stylistic as it was, I suspected she'd regret her choices when she fought a real shinobi. Hinata, that Hyuuga girl in the back, at least had the sense to wear body armor under her choice clothing.

Then, there was Naruto.

Bright, startling orange amidst a crowd of muted browns and greys. I'd often asked him to change his outfit to something less... distracting, but he was adamant about his choice. I supposed I couldn't blame him for not wearing regular clothing. Most places that sold it weren't particularly welcoming to him, although they were happy to service the last Uchiha.

Civilians. The whole lot were downright useless. Even those who chose to enroll in the Shinobi training program rarely graduated above the rank of Chunin. Most Jonin were either from influential clans or families, or had been trained by such. It was all politics; when it came time to form teams, students were quickly sorted around, with the most important placed under those instructors who were the most effective and successful, while those without connections were placed under less illustrious teachers.

In other words, for a civilian the best thing that could happen was to be placed on a team with someone who had _actual_ importance. It was customary for the Hokage to mix in one or two promising students with the Clan born, and I knew from my deal with the Hokage that there'd be one in my squad. Who that civilian would be... I couldn't care less. As long as they didn't get in the way of my actual instruction, I would politely ignore them.

I was roused from my thoughts as I saw Sakura approaching, no doubt to sit next to me. I let her take the seat, and half listened as she began to babble on about hoping to be on the same team, how stressful the exams were, and her excitement at graduating from the academy.

As I listened to her talk, I idly wondered if she truly knew what she was getting into. The Hokage's rousing "Will of Fire" speeches had certainly increased the number of enrolled students, but it was plain that most of these people didn't really understand the job description.

Glorified killers, that was what we were, and I would be the best of them all.

Eventually Sakura stopped abruptly, and looking up, I saw that Iruka had entered the classroom, carrying a stack of papers.

Well then, it was time to see if the Hokage had followed up on his promise.

"Congratulations students! Today, you will be assigned your team and Shinobi Instructor. It is my hope that you, and your fellow team members, will come to grow and bond, as you train to rise through the Shinobi Ranks. There will be many hardships, but as long as you possess the Will of Fire, I am confident you will succeed."

Great, another "Will of Fire" speech, how long do you want to keep these students from the world Iruka? One day, that fragile little bubble you've constructed for them is going to break, and when it does, nothing will protect them from what's _really_ out there.

"The team assignments are as follows. Squad 1, Shinji Yamamoto..."

I tuned out until I saw Iruka glance meaningfully at me. "And Squad 7, under Kakashi Hatake, will be Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno."

Sakura huh? There were worse choices for a teammate I supposed. So the Third had followed through, Naruto and I would be together. I'd always known my blond-haired friend stood little chance at getting some real Shinobi training, but I'd asked specifically to get him on my team. I knew the Council wouldn't like it, but it did mean that any instructor they'd intended for me, would also be obligated to train Naruto as well.

It wasn't much, but it was all I could do for him really. He deserved better than this village was giving him.

I heard Sakura give a small cry of excitement next to me. Naruto however, was even more enthusiastic, jumping up on his desk and whooping loudly. Meanwhile I stayed silent, a perfect example of composure and respect.

I was an Uchiha after all. I had an image to maintain, not just for myself, but for my clan. For their legacy.

* * *

It was around thirty minutes after the other students had left, when Kakashi Hatake arrived to greet us. Although I'd researched most of the Jonin in Konoha, I had never heard about this particular one. That meant that he had either been recently promoted, worked as a covert ANBU, or come out of his retirement.

Glancing I tried, and failed, to judge his age. His hair was a light grey, but with all the odd bloodlines in Konoha, such as Sakura's hair, that was hardly an indicator.

Hell, maybe he bleached it as a kid, and it was damaged. Either way it didn't matter. Without being able to see under his dark grey mask, there was no way to put an age on the guy.

Probably why he was wearing it.

"Hello my young students." He greeted cheerfully, his one visible eye crinkling in what I guessed was a smile. Unsurprisingly, my colleagues were less than amused. Naruto hopped up on his desk, pointing his finger comically at our new Instructor.

"What the hell! We've been waiting here for hours!" He yelled. I refrained from pointing out that it had been less than one. Naruto had a... unique sense of time.

"Now now, there's no need to get riled up." He replied easily. "Meet up on the roof, and we'll begin our introductions." Flashing a quick peace sign, he flickered out of the room, leaving a couple swirls of dust behind in his wake.

He was.. odd. Then again, he had been made my instructor, so he couldn't be that bad, could he?

I got up from my seat, Sakura and Naruto following behind me. When we reached the roof, we found him sitting casually on the edge, reading from a small orange book in his hand.

Wait a minute, was that Make Out Paradise? And it was a limited edition copy too. Still, not the sort of thing you generally read in public. Oblivious to my inner confusion, Kakashi shut his book with a snap, before storing it in his back pocket. He then turned his one visible eye lazily towards us.

"Alright, why don't you all begin by introducing yourselves?"

Sakura, clearly uncomfortable, spoke up first. "Um Sensei, what should we say?"

"Hobbies, dreams, that sort of thing."

Naruto leapt up quickly, putting his hands on his hips in a dramatic pose. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki! My hobbies are reading orange books, showing up late, and being mean to children. My dream is to dye my hair grey, and wear masks all the time!"

Our Sensei merely looked on unmoved, before abruptly crinkling his eye into another smile, and replying, "That's a very good dream Naruto. It's nice to see kids who know what's important in life."

He turned over to me next. "Alright broody, your turn."

In a composed tone, I replied, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My hobbies are training, eating, and sleeping. My dream, no my purpose, is to kill a certain man." Despite my efforts, I couldn't quite keep the malice out of my voice for the last part.

"Pinky, you next."

"My name is Sakura Haruno. My hobbies... well." She shot me a glance. "My dream.. for the future..."

No ambition. None at all. I had to grit my teeth to stop from saying something condescending. It was my first day after all, and I wanted to make a good impression on my new Sensei. Besides, Naruto would be disappointed in me, although what he saw in that girl, I didn't know.

Perhaps sensing my growing irritation, Kakashi spoke up. "That's enough. Now, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

He gazed at us each critically, and I could feel the full weight of his aura settle over us. Killing intent was a very interesting skill, one that involved manipulating the way your chakra reacted with another's. In a sense, it was a type of non-invasive genjutsu, and made use of the fact that all humans expelled small amount of chakra, and that chakra was what was used instinctively to read another's emotions.

By specifically releasing agitated or energized Chakra, one could exude a sort of intimidating aura. It took quite a high level of control to pull off effectively, and it said something about our Sensei that he did it without any visible change.

"You may have passed the graduation exam, but that was just to weed out the truly incompetent. If you want to be a team, you have to pass my survival test."

Well, this hadn't been in our agreement. What was the Hokage playing at? It had taken a lot of effort to get here, involving several turned down appeals for an early graduation. Apparently after my brother, the Council decided they weren't taking any chances with young prodigies this time.

Even now, years after that night, my brother was still standing in my way. In any case, nobody told me about a survival test. Ah well, I would just have to play along. If they expected the other students to pass, no doubt it would be within my abilities as well.

Naruto spoke up. "What? I thought you said we were Genin!"

"Well.. you see, that's not entirely accurate. If you fail my test, it'll be back to the academy for you." Gone was the carefree, indifferent expression. In its place, there was the sort of core, steeled resolve you saw in the veterans of the Nine Tails attack.

"My Survival test has a 66% failure rate. If you think you have what it takes to become a Genin of the Leaf Village, then meet me tomorrow at Training Ground Three. 5 in the morning, sharp." He stood up to leave, but turned to gaze at us one last time. "Oh, and you won't want to eat breakfast. You'll probably end up puking."

With that, he flickered away again, leaving just me, Sakura, and Naruto sitting there.

"Let's go Naruto." I said, moving to get up. "No reason we can't get some training in before tomorrow."

"..um.."

It was Sakura, who quite obviously wanted to say something. I turned to face her, maintaining my expressionless mask. "What is it?" I meant to ask at least semi-politely, but it came out just sounding annoyed.

"I was thinking, maybe since we're on a team and all.. we could go train together?" She asked. It was clear that she was afraid I would say no. I opened my mouth to reply that we weren't a team yet, and besides, our training was a personal thing, when he spoke up.

"Yeah sure! That's cool, right Sasuke?"

Damn. Well, I couldn't really say no to Naruto, not when he looked so happy about it. It would be irritating, but I supposed I could put up with her today, at the very least. If we passed the test, we'd be on the same team anyway, so maybe I should get used to having her around.

"Fine, as long as she isn't too distracting."

They both made silent whoops of joy. I merely turned and walked down the stairs, both of them following close behind.

* * *

As we made the short walk to Training Ground Three, I listened to Naruto's attempt to get Sakura's attention, through various exceedingly outrageous antics. When that failed to work, he simply started babbling in an ongoing commentary about the places we were passing.

A year ago, this likely would have driven me insane. As it was, I'd grown accustomed to Naruto's brash and outgoing personality. Now, I simply took a sort of comfort in listening to his voice. It was good for him, to have somebody listen to what he had to say.

As for Sakura however, I grew increasingly more annoyed with her reactions to Naruto. Sure, he wasn't the most socially aware, but he was clearly trying to be friendly. Instead, she either ignored or scolded him, probably assuming I was ignoring him as well.

I refrained from saying anything however, as it was clear Naruto really wanted this friendship to happen. Still, I resolved to have a talk with Sakura later about her manners towards my friend.

When we arrived at the training ground, I went through my usual Routine, performing the basic Kata of the Academy Style. As much as I wanted to use my Clan's unique form, it assumed the ability to predict the enemy's movements, and having the speed to counteract them. In other words, it was the very best design you could have for a Sharingan user, but without my clan's ocular prowess, it was merely a collection of counter moves for the most common attack forms, combined with the basic Academy Style.

Nearly all Uchiha took this basic template and refined it into their own unique style. It was a rite of passage of sorts, since no two Sharingans learned things the exact same way. Our family's Bloodline acted more as a translator than a direct copier, working to convert the enemy's forms and movements into what fit one's own body the fastest.

Contrary the popular belief, the Sharingan couldn't copy things perfectly, that would be impossible. No two people had the same Chakra signature, let alone body type, weight, and form. Our power merely tried to accomplish the same end result, and most of the time it worked well. There were only a couple recorded instances of a Sharingan failing to copy a Jutsu formation.

Everything came back to the Sharingan. Ever since that day, I'd been actively looking for a way to awaken it, but like many other Uchiha before me, I didn't find a substitute for a real life situation.

Naruto had certainly tried to help, but I just couldn't believe in his intent to kill. He was too nice, and definitely not the murdering type.

I had always had a small fear that I wouldn't ever awaken my Clan's Bloodline, since it didn't manifest when Itachi... well. I kept telling myself it was because I was young, but as the years had passed, that fear had grown much more real.

Without that power, how could I continue my Clan's legacy? Furthermore, how could I possibly beat my brother without having even the lowest level of the Sharingan?

These thoughts plagued me often, but I tried my best to dismiss them. No, my eyes _would _awaken. My family had possessed the most direct ancestry to the original Sharingan user, and we were almost expected to manifest ours early.

"I simply have to be patient," I thought to myself, as I finished up the last form of the Academy style. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Naruto had done the same.

Sakura however, was merely standing there, looking very awkward. Damn, it looked as though I'd have to lead her through everything.

"Why don't you show me your forms." I suggested. She moved quickly to comply, focusing intently on her movements. She had it down pretty well, although it was clear from her posture that she hadn't actually had to defend against many hits. Through countless spars, my arms and legs had developed those muscles needed to block incoming punches and kicks until they were strong and tightly corded, able to work almost entirely on instinct.

The way she was standing, while an Academy Student might have trouble knocking her down, any competent Chunin could probably knock her off her feet, given a clear shot.

I sighed. There wasn't much I could do to prepare her for facing whatever test Kakashi had planned, other than perhaps showing her how to balance her weight properly.

"Stand still." I said, and moved until I was just a few feet away from her. She flushed a little, but said nothing. "Try to block me." I said, giving her a few seconds, then thrust my fist out to catch her in the ribs.

She caught my hand, but was unprepared for the force behind the blow. She stumbled, and I was able to bring my leg around to catch her on the other side. She tried to stop that too, but the impact knocked her even more off balance, and she fell to the ground.

"Again." I said.

She got up, only to be knocked backwards by my kick to her stomach, doubling over in pain.

"Again."

At this point Naruto was looking worried. "Um. Sasuke, maybe you could start off a little softer."

This time when she stood up, she was prepared, both her arms up in a defensive formation. I could see in her expression that she was close to crying, and embarassed at being taken down so easily.

"Are you ready to start taking this seriously?" I asked.

She nodded, and I moved to strike her from the right. She blocked me, and instinctively brought her arm up to protect her other side as well. This left her chest area open. I ducked down, thrusting my other fist into her stomach. This time, she started coughing for air, pained rasps coming from her throat.

"If you can't handle this, then you don't stand a chance against Kakashi." I stated flatly. "I don't know what kind of survival test he has in mind, but if Taijutsu is involved, you should just stay out of the way."

This time she did start crying, although she tried desperately to stifle it. Naruto was giving me a look that clearly said I had gone too far. I hadn't meant to push so hard, but still, she should have been better prepared.

Enemy Shinobi wouldn't be pulling soft hits, and she needed to be able to block them.

Naruto gestured for me to do something, but I held back. Sakura had done nothing to earn my sympathy, and I certainly didn't owe her anything for that abysmal performance. Let him be the one to comfort failures, I didn't have time to waste on people like her, or so I told myself. She probably hadn't trained an hour outside of the Academy, while I'd been working hard since I turned six.

There was no room in the Main Uchiha house for failures. That was what my father had said.

Nevertheless I relented a little. It wouldn't do to ostracize a possible teammate so early, regardless of her failings. "Why don't you show me your accuracy." I suggested. I already knew that she was in the upper portion of the class when it came to target practice, and it would be a way for her to feel at least somewhat competent.

She nodded, wiping away a few stray tears from her eyes. I gestured to one of the standing training dummies Naruto and I had brought here. This training ground hadn't been used formally for a while, so Naruto and I had done our practice here more than a couple times.

Reaching for her back pocket, she brought out a handful of shuriken. Arming them in her fingers, she threw them at the dummy, and they embedded themselves squarely in it's chest, all around the red painted target Naruto had added.

"That's.. Alright." I said. It wouldn't do to give her an inflated opinion of herself, but it honestly wasn't all that bad. She took my words to heart though, and gave me a tentative smile, even through puffy eyes.

It made me feel odd inside, and I reflexively brought my face into a scowl. Seeing my expression, she looked away quickly, suddenly becoming very interested in the ground before her.

Damn, I hadn't handled that well at all. I wasn't expecting it though.

"Nice job Sakura!" Naruto cheered. He came over to face her, wrapping his hands behind his head. Even I smiled a little at his wide grin. "That's way better than I can do, I always throw them too far unless they're Kunai."

It wasn't true. Naruto could hit that target dead on if he tried. While in the beginning he had certainly had some difficulty, now he could hit a _moving_ target with pinpoint accuracy. I didn't comment however, as it was clear he was trying to make her feel better.

"Idiot, of course I could hit it better than you." She replied, but it was obvious she didn't mean it. Perhaps there was some hope for this team after all.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon went by without any problems. The run was fairly straightforward, and although Sakura struggled to keep up with Naruto and I, she didn't lag too far behind. When it came time to meditate, she was able to keep quiet, and only fidgeted once or twice throughout the session. Needless to say, it had taken a while before Naruto was able to sit still and focus on simply being.

When he had tried for the first time, after a few minutes he had suddenly flinched, and grown deathly pale. When I had asked him what was wrong, he quickly stammered about not wanting to talk about it, before heading home.

I didn't see him for several days, and when he did finally reappear, he had lost some of his joyous energy. I could tell whatever it was had shaken him, badly, but he had never wanted to discuss it.

I wouldn't pry. I knew what it was like to have secrets. Whatever he had found deep in his mindscape, that was his business, and his alone. I could only show support where I could for him.

It was obvious that meditating was having some effect on his control though. He was still a far cry from being a studious individual, and suffered in a classroom atmosphere, but at least it was not so bad as before. I doubted he would ever be suited for desk work, but now, there was a certain balance in his actions.

After the session, we wrapped up the day's practice, as we all needed to get up early for tomorrow's survival test. Sakura thanked us for letting her come, and went home with a smile on her face. Naruto said he wanted to go grab some food before heading to sleep, and took off for Ichiraku Ramen.

And so, I made my way home alone, watching the sun settle across the horizon.

As I walked, my mind went over all the things that had happened that day, as well as the enigma that was my new Sensei. Kakashi Hatake. He'd certainly seemed odd enough, but his control and posture suggested at least that he was competent.

Plus, if my suspicions were correct, he had been recently retired from the ANBU Black Ops, which meant he was on a level just below the Hokage. Ah well, I'd simply have to wait till tomorrow.

I had taken the long route home, as I wanted to watch the sunset for a little while. The sky was red in the evening light. Suddenly, I felt a flash, and saw the inverted world of Tsukuyomi for a moment, as well as the bloody piles of corpses Itachi had shown me, as he cut down my family one by one.

I flinched and clutched my head immediately, trying to control my rapidly increasing heart rate. The doctors had said I would experience recurrences like this for the rest of my life, but it had been a while since my last one. But no, of course they weren't over. They were never over.

"Itachi." The very name felt like poison in my throat, and I struggled to regain my composure. My dear brother had taken everything from me, and left me a broken individual. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was what they called it. A variety of medications were tried, but they didn't make any difference.

Closure. They had said I needed to accept the past and move on, but I couldn't. Not while that _monster_ was still out there. No, there was only one way I could ever move past what happened that night.

I would kill him, and avenge my family. It was my purpose.

Shaking off the tremors, I continued down the path to my Apartment. The route I'd taken was fairly isolated, winding through some of the grassy areas inside the Village Walls. I liked the quiet though, it gave me time to think to myself.

As I reached the city edge, I saw a small flicker in the corner of my vision. Turning quickly, I tried to pinpoint where it had been, but there was nothing there.

Brushing it off as nerves, I continued walking, entering the west district of Konoha. It was here that the more prestigious Clans resided, and housed the Uchiha, Hyuuga, and Akimichi Compounds. I wasn't sure why I kept being drawn back to my former home, but I stopped by nearly every night.

The Hokage had offered to let me stay, but I'd turned him down. There were enough flashes even without the constant reminders.

Besides, I wasn't sure I could ever forget what I had seen there. Not enough to sleep well anyway.

Today though, I had graduated, albeit a whole five years later than Itachi had. When it became clear that they weren't going to let me pass early, I took my training into my own hands. Remembering all the exercises my Father had commanded me to perform, I practiced, day after day, until the movements were as natural as walking.

In Taijutsu, I was easily at a Chunin level, and had ended up dominating the class match-ups until Iruka himself needed to spar with me. Eventually, even he I managed to beat, but it was a hollow victory in my eyes. He was a desk worker, and likely hadn't had much Taijutsu practice in the first place.

It wasn't enough. It was never enough. No matter what I did, it was impossible for me to advance at the same rate Itachi had.

The benefit of getting a Sharingan so early was immeasurable. Itachi had practically sprinted up through the ranks, by copying off his peers, his teachers, and even his own family members. By the time he was my age, he had amassed a huge arsenal of skills, and possessed the keen intellect to use it all effectively.

He had stolen from the best, and done it faster and younger than anyone had imagined possible. He excelled in nearly every field, until eventually he begun purposefully transferring around amongst the ranks, in order to copy off of every great Ninja Group in Konoha.

Even then it hadn't been enough, so he started asking for extended missions to other countries. There, he further refined his abilities, copying off of hundreds of enemy shinobi, to the point where he had gained such mastery over his eyes, he could keep them on effectively forever.

When he came home one day, he stated that he would not be leaving long anymore, and that he wished to instead focus on refining his own Taijutsu Style. By that point, he had already achieved the highest level of Sharingan, and thus was rivaled by only a handful of people in the clan.

Father had been so proud. Even Mother and I were happy to have him back, although most of his time was spent in the field, experimenting with various Genjutsu and Styles he'd collected over the course of his progress.

Genjutsu. Ordinarily taking years, possibly decades to learn, through the Sharingan it could be copied instantly. The art of using Chakra to manipulate another's thoughts, senses, and emotions was so difficult, even the three great Sanin, and the Third Hokage, refuted as the God of Shinobi, were limited to the Infinite Darkness Genjutsu, a simple one that worked by blocking optical data to the brain, rather than making any complex manipulations.

Techniques such as this were almost standard among the Shinobi populace, as few had the control or ability to do more than block information to the mind, or temporarily disorient an opponent. Genjutsu Masters were so rare, it was said that only a handful could even live at the same time.

Itachi mastered the craft in three days, and used it to form one of the most advanced Shinobi styles in the world. Incorporating the Great Clone Explosion Jutsu into the mix, a technique he'd collected from Iwagakure, soon there were none, even among the Clan that could stand up against him.

Even against the Third it had been a close match, and the wizened old Shinobi had needed to release his Chakra constantly to keep himself out of the effects of Genjutsu. This had drained him quickly, and only by summoning Genma, had he been able to ultimately triumph over my brother.

He brought pride and glory to the Uchiha, and we loved him for it. So entranced with his abilities, none of us saw what it was doing to him.

I'd always known that he was stressed by it all, by the responsibilities that came with his power. Even then in his young face, lines of weariness were clearly visible, and his eyes, straining day after day to maintain the powers of the Sharingan, were sunken and empty of life. It was painful to see, but he'd always given me that smile, that look that said he was ok, that he could handle the burden.

This was the man I had to face. A man who had in one night effortlessly murdered the entire Uchiha Clan, my family.

"Foolish little brother, you aren't even worth killing." He had said to me, and it was true. I couldn't have held a candle to Itachi, especially not then. It would've been like beating my hands against a concrete wall, for all the good it would have done.

But, for all his prodigious talent, he'd made a mistake. In his arrogance, he had left me alive to seek revenge.

In one night, my brother had managed to destroy anyone who could've developed the strength to kill him. The power of the Sharingan, its ability to increase one's power endlessly, it belonged only to him now.

No, that wasn't true. I was the last hope for revenge, the only one who could stop him. With the power of the Sharingan, I had the tools to gain strength, just as he had, but if I failed...

If I failed, there would be nobody to take my place, nobody to carry in my footsteps.

I was the Last Uchiha.

* * *

A/N:

I think it turned out alright for the first chapter. In case you were wondering, no, this is not a bashing fic. I have plans for Sakura in the future. That was to illustrate the kinds of thoughts Sasuke has, and establish the relationships between the members of Team 7. Just because he has certain opinions, that doesn't mean I share them.

This is AU, obviously, but only so I can improve the writing as I see fit, and twist the world to suit my needs. You've probably already noticed that Naruto and he share a different relationship then in Canon, and there is a reason for this, which will be explored later.

Anything post-time skip I may or may not choose to include in the story, which raises an interesting question. Is Itachi a hero, or did he really crack? You don't get to know until we get there. It is my hope that this, and other similar questions, will add some mystery to the fanfiction, something all too many are sorely lacking.

I have the story planned out past the Chunin Exams, and a general idea of how I'm going to write it. That's not to say I won't make changes, if I feel they are necessary, but it should still follow the same general outline I have.

I do welcome suggestions on how I could improve the story, but don't expect me to implement all, if any of them. Anything that gets in the way of my plans for the future will generally not be considered, unless I think they are better than what I had originally.

This is also not a slash fic, and does not have any planned pairings. If two characters do get together, it will be because it is conducive to the story, not because I like any particular matchup, so don't bother suggesting it.

I am looking for a Beta, so if you're interested, feel free to PM me with the details.

-Lord Darkly


	2. Chapter 2

Eventually I roused myself from my thoughts, and continued my slow walk back to my apartment. I had left the west district by then, and was traversing across the main street where Shops were either turning in for the night, or lighting up lanterns against the approaching darkness.

Of course, not all of them used the same kind; the mass produced Lightning Seals most used made for excellent lighting, and could store activation chakra remotely. The Leaf Village in particular prided itself on getting a surprisingly large amount of it's revenue, 20%, from recreational services. From what I'd heard, these were mostly D-Rank Missions, although some retired ninja chose to turn their talents towards starting up businesses.

The Lightning Seals were just one of these. Although their creator was hardly a sealing expert, he did know enough to write up a lighting prototype, one that impressed the civilians immensely. Eventually of course, it spawned it's own competitors, mostly Fire Elemental Seals, since there were more fire affinities in the village. None of them reached the same popularity as the original however, and profited mostly of foreign trading.

And so, re-entering the Village streets, I passed several glowing lanterns hanging outside Shop windows, such as Ichiraku Ramen.

Of course, Naruto had gone home by then. It wasn't exactly surprising; he wasn't known to take his time when it came to eating. That particular habit I suspected he'd gotten from several nights without food. He'd never told me, but I guessed it soon enough. It wasn't hard to see a connection between his eating habits and bare-board cupboard.

Just another way these damn people had managed to screw him over.

As I walked, civilians shot me glances, some with expressions akin to revery, others with something more like contempt. The latter were for the most part those who had been hit by the Konoha Military Police Force, at one point or another. The Uchiha, while a prestigious clan, did have it's enemies. My father's rigid policies weren't exactly popular with the masses.

The muttering used to get to me, but now I simply ignored it, like he had told me to before his death. If I reacted to them, that gave them power over me, the power to influence my emotions.

I would not give them that power.

Eventually I reached my complex, one of the more sturdy ones in Konoha. Although most died on missions, there were a number of retired Shinobi who were without clans, and needed places to stay that offered above average protection. This was one such place.

Reaching the front door, I nodded to the Chunin standing at guard. It was a D-Rank mission, but not a degrading one. Protecting it's citizens was a big part of Konoha's image, and while protection detail wasn't cheap, those wizened old warmongers that lived there had more than enough funds to afford it. Besides, it was easy money for whoever took the job, since no incidents had taken place at the building since the Third Great Shinobi War.

I had initially chosen this place for it's privacy, since more than a few people tried to come and visit me at my home. Some were nobles from the Fire Daimyo's court, looking to get a bloodline into their family, not just for the actual abilities either. As technically the head of the Uchiha Clan, I held a lot of political clout should I choose to use it, and many were looking to gain that for themselves by offering bribes, or even daughters.

The fools, they thought the Last Uchiha could be bought. In any case, although it was not my initial reason, I soon came to enjoy listening to the advice from the building's many respected residents.

Of the many, many groups my father had warned me not to associate with, Old Shinobi were not one of them. "Son," He had told me. "Any Shinobi who has lasted beyond the age of 60, is either a coward, or a survivor. If they are the latter, do not hesitate to learn from them. Their words may save your life someday."

And it was true, at least in part. I found their advice to be reasonable and useful. One of them in particular, an ancient one-armed man named Kyoto, told me, "If there is anything to learn from me, there is this. Maintain your flexibility, do not tie yourself to one style or strategy, however effective. Too many Shinobi have I seen fall to enemies, who prepared for them specifically. Keep a large arsenal of skills, so as not to be left at a disadvantage, no matter the situation."

I climbed the steps of the staircase, and moved to the end of the hall on the Third Floor. It was by unspoken agreement that the more elderly people lived on lower levels, and those more physically able lived near the top. I was one below the penthouse, which was used to house medium level nobles and foreign ambassadors.

Opening the door, I slipped off my shoes, then unstrapped my new headband from my head, the spiraled symbol of Konoha gleaming on it's front. The mark of a Genin, although I knew if I failed Kakashi's test tomorrow, it would be taken.

I could not afford to fail. Time was against me, and Itachi could only have grown stronger since leaving the Village. I knew that if something did not change quickly, that gap in our power would become insurmountable.

That could not happen. I needed every advantage I could get.

I set it down on my shelf near the door, and entered into my bedroom. It was neat and organized, with numerous books open at my desk. A Notebook lay open at the side, a pen on it, with various notes on how one could awaken Dormant Bloodlines.

I moved to open the window, when suddenly, I felt my body go numb and stop dead in it's tracks. Immediately I struggled to move my arms, to yell, to jump to the side, to do anything!

But it didn't respond.

I saw a dark shape move in front of me, before I recognized it as an ANBU Uniform. It was cloaked, and the mask was styled after a frog, or so it appeared, with orange paint around the eyes, and a grin shaped mouth opening.

The figure quickly slapped me on the chest, black branching marks spiraling over my body, wrapping around my arms, neck, torso, and limbs.

As suddenly as it came, the numbness disappeared. I tried to move, but found myself still rooted in place. The Anbu then wrapped me in his cloak, before opening the window with one arm, and jumping out the side of it, the two of us blurring over the street below.

With a flash, two other ANBU appeared next to us, each with a Kunai in hand. Together, we sprinted across the rooftops of Konoha, the ground below us little more than a blur. The disorientation made me feel unstable and weak, and I felt my heart rate and breathing speed up until I could barely hear the rush of the wind as we ran.

Were they friendly? Was this some kind of test? I sincerely hoped so, since nobody would find it unusual for a handful of Anbu to leave the village. Hell I doubted anyone could even see me under the dark fabric.

Then, we reached the edge of the rooftops, and jumped down to inside Uchiha Compound, where I had just been. It was then that I saw a kunai whizz past us, a paper tag plastered on its face. There was an explosion behind us, and instantly the two ANBU that had been following branched off, flying through the air.

I saw five Flak Jacketed Shinobi jump after the one on the left, and a handful of White-robed Hyuugas intercept the right man. Meanwhile, my capturer continued on past, rushing to the high wall of surrounding Konoha just a couple feet away from the Clan House.

"They're definitely not friendly," I realized. Whoever had gotten me intended to take me alive, no doubt to collect the Sharingan Bloodline.

Rising panic began to overpower my senses. I'd heard about what happened to captured bloodline carriers, and it filled me with dread.

Suddenly, a green shape blurred into existence before me, and I felt the ANBU crunch under a sudden impact from the left.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" I heard over my head. The man carrying me twisted as we hurtled towards the ground, so we landed and stuck against the wall of one of the Clan Houses. He then blasted off from it at an angle, flying yet again towards the Wall looming over us.

But whoever was following us was quicker, as yet again the man was smashed, this time from the back, and sent hurtling towards one of the buildings. This time, we impacted through the roof, splinters digging through the cloak and into my arms and back. I heard a sickening crunch come from the ANBU, who had taken the brunt of the impact.

Red blood seeped down through the cloak, and came to drip across my face. Somehow, the man got up again, and ran through the open door back out towards the wall. Suddenly, I felt myself thrown up in the air, flying straight upwards, still paralyzed. Down below, I saw the Frog ANBU flash though several handseals, before thrusting his undamaged arm up at me.

Instantly, several blocks of ground flew up at me, transforming before my very eyes into perfect copies of my assailant. Two of these intercepted the Green man, while the other six escorted the original, who grabbed me, as we rushed to the wall.

The rapid changes in gravity had left me completely disoriented, and the sudden violent grip of the man thrust all air out my lungs. My bound body struggled to breathe, my chest unwilling to move more than a couple centimeters. My sight was growing blurry, as a lack of oxygen threatened to drive me unconscious.

"No.. Not yet..." I forced out.

The last thing I saw, before the darkness overtook me, was the world spinning into sudden, beautiful clarity.

* * *

...

"...suke! Why won't he wake..."

...

"...ostponed, until he is..."

...

* * *

I awoke to a throbbing pain in my head.

Instinctively, I tried to sit up, and felt numerous restraints over my limbs and body. Suddenly remembering what had happened, I began to panic, my breathing becoming fast and labored again. I couldn't see, couldn't move, were they going to-

I heard voices nearby.

"He's awake, go get-"

"I know, we've already sent word to him."

This was bad. I needed to force myself up, get away somehow! Could I kill myself? The thought had never occurred to me, but I suddenly realized I might have to. Anything to keep myself from _that_.

I thrashed against my restraints, and instantly felt horrifying, excruciating pain strike through my arms. It was as though someone had thrust needles into them, which I quickly realized, they had.

Oh god, they might have already done something. I had to brace the pain, even if it crippled me for life. I readied myself, to give one final tug, before I heard a shout, and my body froze yet again. This felt different, as though I weren't trying to move at all, but instead was making myself remain still.

I had failed. They had me, and I knew it would be a matter of time before I was sealed, and-

"Lord Hokage, he's regained consciousness."

My tense body let out an immense sigh of relief, and I felt myself loosen muscles I didn't even realized I was clenching.

So they had recovered me then. I was safe.

The stress of the release finally hit me, and soon I was drifting back into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

This time when I awoke, the pain had dimmed somewhat. My head still ached, but it was much more dull now. This time, there was nothing covering my eyes, although I still felt the restraints on my body.

They were much tighter now, I could barely move at all, except to breathe. Slowly, the world around me came into blurry awareness.

There were bandages around my arms, with small splotches of blood scattered across them. Glancing to the left, and saw a pile of used ones on a table nearby. These were painted in reddish brown, clear against the white of them.

Had I truly crippled myself?

I heard footsteps, and soon a doctor came into my vision.

"Ah, you're awake. Thank goodness, you gave us quite a scare with that little event before. I apologize for the restraints, but it was necessary to keep you from doing further damage to yourself. Had Shikaku not been in the building, well..."

I tried to nod, but found my neck bound as well. The man moved and unbuckled several leather straps across my limbs and body. I moved to sit up, my muscles stiff from lack of use, and it was several long seconds before I was in an upright position.

"Take it slowly now, we just finished patching you up." I nodded, and lifted my right arm to get a better look at it. The wrappings were around the elbow, and I found myself unable to bend my arm without pain flashing through it.

"Ah yes. That, unfortunately, will take some time to heal." He explained. "Luckily it isn't permanent, but you won't be an active Shinobi for a week, at the very least."

I opened my mouth to reply, and found my throat dry and weak. "...The Graduation Test..." I forced out.

The man looked sympathetic. "Don't worry about that. Kakashi's agreed to postpone it until you're fit enough for it. Now, your teammates are worried about you, but I'm afraid they can't see you until you've met with the Hokage. Do you feel well enough to recount your experience?"

"Yes." I replied. The man nodded in acceptance. "Very well then, they should have a room set up for you to talk in already. I'll take you out to see them."

* * *

It took several long minutes for the Hokage and Interrogation Squad to arrive. By then I was already seated in the cubic concrete room, facing against the iron door. The Doctor assured me this was just in case a seal of some sort had been placed on my body, one that could be used to influence me remotely. It made sense, but I didn't like it.

Eventually they all filtered into the room. Hiruzen spoke first.

"I'm glad to see you've improved." he began. "Last I saw, you still had needle fractures in your arms, but they tell me that's been taken care of. Now, I need you to begin when you first saw the false ANBU agent that attempted to capture you. This is crucial information, try to be as descriptive as you can."

I recounted my experience best I could, and the Hokage nodded along at the proper points, a look of contemplation on his face. He interrupted only once to ask, "The man, did you ever see him perform feats seemingly impossible, such as bend his body in a manner beyond human limitations?"

The only thing I remembered as being odd was him landing on the wall, but the Hokage assured me this was a fairly standard skill, and could be mastered by anyone with time.

"I won't keep you any longer, but if you remember anything extra about that night, however innocuous or simple, please don't hesitate to inform me. Now then, I'm sure you must be proud at having finally achieved what you've been looking for so long."

I shot him a confused look, and his brow furrowed ever so slightly. "You don't know yet? The Medical Team assures me you've managed to activate them. Perhaps this will jog your memory."

He gestured behind him, and one of the men, who had three scars striping across the top of his head, brought up the Frog Mask the ANBU had been wearing.

Instantly I felt my vision spin before clarifying into greater detail I would've imagined possible. My eyes bored into the flat white porcelain, tracing along it's every crack and feature, memorizing it. In a flash, I realized what I had just done.

"You mean, after all this time..." I said. He looked at me with one of his rare smiles.

"Yes, you've awakened your family's Bloodline. The Sharingan is yours now."

I wanted to cry, or throw my arms up, do something! This was what I had been working towards most of my life. The Sharingan, with it's power I could begin to build up my own collection of abilities, just like he had, and then-

"Now now, don't get ahead of yourself Sasuke. You still have a week to wait before trying out your new ability. Now, I won't keep you from your friends any longer, else I fear Konoha will be plagued by a number of pranks." This was ended with a small chuckle, and I found myself smiling a little.

Yes, I had done it. The Uchiha clan's legacy was mine at last.

The Hokage and the others moved to leave, but I called out to them. "Lord Hokage."

They turned to look at me.

"Yes?"

"The men who tried to capture me," I asked. "Who were they?"

Hiruzen's previously amiable expression turned dark. "That, we do not know. The bodies we found were those of Rogue Ninja, each from a different Village. We suspect that they may have been directed by a new one that seems to be recruiting such people, called Otogakure."

Otogakure? I hadn't read about them in any of the Academy History Books, which meant they were recent. Why did they want me? For my bloodline? Wasn't hard to imagine, practically any village would jump at the chance to gain the Sharingan for themselves.

Still, I found myself confused. None of the other villages had made attempts on me, as it would've brought about war. Even if they were to escape unnoticed, it wouldn't be long before all Five Kages were meeting to discuss the matter. Bloodline stealing was a crime of the highest caliber, and strictly prohibited by the Treaty of Shinobi Villages.

Villages were even prevented from accepting rogue ninja with bloodlines not already possessed, so no single Hyuuga could go rogue and take his bloodline to the Cloud Village.

And besides, they wouldn't even be able to make use of it effectively because of all the secrecy. The moment a Sharingan User was seen wearing a Cloud Headband, the world would be torn apart by yet another war.

That was the kind of power the Sharingan had. The power to bring about destruction and chaos.

But if this Village was new, then they had nothing to fear from these laws. After all, they didn't apply to any groups outside of the Great Five Villages, as long as they weren't associating with any of them. Also, that meant that Otogakure had a way around the Rogue Ninja acceptance laws, and could bring in Bloodline carriers whenever needed, or even capture them, although that would likely bring attack down upon them from the village in question.

In other words, if this "Village", kept its nose clean and didn't antagonize any of the great villages, it could effectively worm its way around nearly all of the treaties signed after the Third Great Shinobi War.

It was then that I realized just how close the Sound Village had came to stealing the Sharingan.

"Thank you Hokage." I replied. I now had much to think about, especially regarding this new group. If they were after me, then my safety was at risk no matter where I was. I doubted Konoha Security would be so lax regarding me again, but that didn't eliminate the danger.

Without a doubt, Team 7 would not be leaving Konoha for a particularly long time.

* * *

When I got back to my sick room, Naruto and Sakura were waiting for me.

"Sasuke!" She said, standing up from the bench, looking quite panicked at my bandages. Naruto's expression was one of quiet resolution, teeth gritted, and his blond eyebrows clenched in anger.

"Those bastards hurt you didn't they. He told me they tried to take you from the village."

"Yes." I replied simply. "My arms are because of something else though, don't worry about it."

At this, Sakura looked slightly more horrified, but Naruto seemed to just get more agitated. "Why didn't you fight back? You should've-"

"I couldn't move. They had me pinned down."

"Well you shouldn't have let them pin you down then!"

I could tell that he wasn't really angry at me, but rather at the situation. Naruto hated that feeling of helplessness, of not being in control of his own life. I knew it must have hurt terribly, to have come so close to losing one of his few friends.

Sakura, of course, was quick to move on my behalf. "Shut up Naruto, I'm sure he did all he could in the situation!"

Ignoring her, he continued, "I won't let them take you Sasuke. Not ever."

"I'll protect you even if it costs me my life, that's a promise."

I was struck by the steely tone in his voice, and in that moment, I realized he meant every word he'd said.

Naruto would die for me if that was what it took. Probably wouldn't even have to think about it, that was just the kind self-sacrificing person he was. For a friend who had shown him kindness, he would walk to the ends of Earth and back. The statement reminded me of something Itachi had once said to me.

"You and I are flesh and blood. I'm always going to be there for you, even if it's only as an obstacle for you to overcome. Even if you do hate me. That's what big brothers are for."

The memory brought with it a feeling of cruel emptiness. Here was the village pariah, beaten and despised for most of his life, showing such depths of kindness and empathy, while Itachi, loved and admired by all, had turned into an emotionless machine, only obsessed with increasing his power and abilities.

It was a horrifying contrast, and raised questions about the nature of humanity in my mind.

Sakura didn't look like she knew what to say about Naruto's resolution, so she simply came over to look at my arms. "Well if it wasn't the men, what happened then?" She asked.

"The needles broke." I said. She obviously wanted me to elaborate, but I stayed silent.

Shrugging her off, I moved to get closer to Naruto. I hadn't seen in before, since with my Sharingan deactivated, my vision was still blurry, but now closer, I could see tear marks and streaks along his face.

His eyes were red and puffy, and though he tried to hide it, It was clear he'd been crying recently.

I had no experience in comforting others, certainly not Naruto. Although we were friends in a sense, I'd never had to explicitly state anything to him really. His remarkable ability to read people, while it likely originated as a way for him to quickly tell whether somebody would hurt him or not, allowed him an incredible ability to read others.

There was never any need to say certain things out loud, he just recognized them intuitively, so I hadn't ever really put my support into words before. To an outsider, I suspected that it'd look rather one-sided, as I'm not the most expressive of people.

So, I did the first thing that came to mind.

Walking up, I put my hand on his shoulder, his slumped posture stiffening somewhat. He still wasn't very used to touch, and I wasn't really a physical person, so it was a relatively new experience.

"You don't have to worry about me." I said. "If we keep getting stronger, nobody will be able to hurt us, not even the strongest of shinobi."

This was just the sort of thing he responded to, so he perked up significantly at that. Naruto preferred to work at problems immediately, and for there to be clear steps for him to follow. There was a lot he didn't know, and not many people to guide him, so he had a tendency to throw himself into whatever he could do at the moment.

His endless drive was sorely limited to what was directly available to him. He didn't understand long term planning, since he had never had the opportunity to learn it at a young age. Angry villagers were a direct problem. You could see them, run from them, and had to react immediately. With paperwork, there was no clear action for him to take, and with nobody to explain it to him, he suffered, trying the best that he could.

Long term planning wasn't worth much when problems were hitting you constantly, at least not to an eight year old boy, and so, he had never learned. It was remarkable just how stunted Naruto's growth had been.

I had a feeling that in the right circumstances, that incredible compassion and understanding for others, coupled with his furious determination, could've been forged into something more resembling the Fourth Hokage, who was said to work for months on end when there was a problem he needed to solve. A genius, who turned his intuition towards solving the complex problems of politics, society, and designing shinobi techniques.

Instead, what we got was a beaten down boy, just looking for acceptance, who could only regain control over his life by handling problems as they came to him.

It took a remarkable level of willpower not to act out against the village of my birth, after it had managed to ruin perhaps one of the most incredible young minds it had ever seen before. There was only so much damage I could undo at this point. The rest was so ingrained into his personality by now, I doubted it would ever be truly gone.

"Let's get out of here." I said. Naruto stood up to accompany me, but Sakura said, "Um... should you be leaving the hospital?"

"It's fine, the doctor just said not to strain myself, and to hold practice off for a while." It was true in a sense, although it had taken quite a bit of arguing to convince him to let me go, coupled with promises not to make sudden movements, or even channel chakra to my hands for a few days.

It was a small price to pay. I had to get out of there, the hospital reeked of death and sickness, and I'd had several unpleasant experiences there before, once with a crazed doctor trying to steal my eyes, (who didn't survive long), and another with the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre.

Besides, the movement would be good for Naruto. Moving made him feel like he was doing something.

And so, me and Naruto left for a walk around the village outskirts.

I never even noticed that Sakura hadn't followed us.

* * *

A/N: This took a little while to write. It's about 1,500 words shorter than the first chapter, but I think it turned out alright for just three days of work. While I'd like to update regularly, I'm not entirely sure how consistent it's going to be. Generally speaking my goal is to update at least once a week, but if it's a particularly complex or important chapter, I wouldn't be surprised if it took longer than that.

So, kicking off some action scenes now. The first chapter was mainly just establishing the world, something all to often neglected in Fanfiction. This one is where the story starts going, and Naruto gets some explanation behind his many oddities.

Personally, I thought Naruto's character made a lot of sense in terms of how he was written. I'm mostly annoyed that it wasn't explained much outside of, "Angry Villagers", which isn't exactly an explanation to end all explanations. This also leads me to believe that perhaps Kishimoto doesn't entirely understand why Naruto's character works as well as he does, or if he knows, he doesn't think it's important enough to explain.

...Which is fine, it's just not my style of writing. Anyway, I'm happy with how this turned out. Go ahead and leave a quick review, if you've got the time.

Expect another update fairly soon,

-Darkly


	3. News

A/N:

Alright, bad news my 10 or so followers.

A couple days ago, I decided it was time to pick up a Beta for the story, so I asked one of my favorite writers, if he'd give a read-through of what I've got, and make some suggestions.

Unfortunately, the news wasn't good. He very politely informed me that I had an ok concept, but I was going about it completely backwards. First person past form is inherently flawed as a form, my writing showed little to no personality for Sasuke, and I opened up the story with Exposition. It was pretty messed up from the get-go, and I'm turning off the majority of my potential readers.

He also suggested that I abandon the story, and either go back to square one and try again, or else abandon the project, and leave it as a reminder of how much I sucked at writing at the time. So... yeah.

Several of his comments had merit, and I was rather put out by it. After all, this was a story I really wanted to write. But, this also provides me with a unique opportunity for development.

As long as I'm going back to square one, why not make it even _better?_

So yes. I'm dropping this particular story, or rather, what I have so far, and I'm directing most of my unused creative ideas from here to my new one, which I plan on picking up a beta for _ahead of time. _I also plan on making sure there aren't any game-killing flaws like this one had, before publishing.

This was my first time writing, so... yeah. I was expecting some mistakes, but I wasn't expecting them to be this large. At any rate, I've learned a lot though, and am hoping to do much better on my next project.

Since my writing style for this sucks apparently, I'm guessing most of you are here more for the general concept than anything else. My plans for the next story are vastly different, so don't expect much overlap in terms of where this one was going, and where my new one is headed.

So, I'm leaving this for posterity, (Mostly myself), and moving on. That's a big bummer, but it's given me some time to rethink things. So, if you happen to like my writing, stay tuned for the next one, but I doubt many of you will.

But that's fine. I'm doing my best, and that's all that really matters to me.

Until next time,

-Darkly


End file.
